Post by tim on May 7, 2010 7:41:22 GMT -5
A friend of mine who is will into his upper 70's and who is still a good picker, came out of the Korean war in 1953, took some of his army pay and bough a new Fender Telecaster, and champ amplifier.
He played with several country pickers in the local clubs a honky-tonks and made some decent money for the day. He said one night they played a new years eve gig and between the four of them got $25.00 a piece! He was in 7th heaven because he'd never seen that kind of money playing for a party. Pay was usually 5-10.00 bucks. in the mid 50's.
Being a farmer and he and his wife started hatching kids, and farming wasn't too great, so he had to play to pay bills.
"One thing my kids (7 of them all grown now) will never realize is there was many a time that guitar put bread on the table because we were broke and needed groceries!"
He was also dissapointed that even though he encouraged them, his kids never found an apreciation for playing any kind of an instrument, because he also said that it seems that when everything goes bust, people will always pay for good music and good times. "
He still playes his Tele, even though the frets are about wore down to the finger-oil stained maple neck and I asked him if he'd ever considered selling it.
"Well" he said, "In 1995 a guy wanted to buy the Tele and the champ (which doesn't work), and he offered me $14,000 for the pair, and and that included the guitars origional leather gig bag. I looked at him and said 'I appreciate the offer'
He still sits in with some old pickers who get together, and even though he has a mexican strat as well as some other modern instruments, the Tele still makes it's debut and still plays well in his hands after 58 years. He can still pull off some pretty good Chet Atkins stuff too!
I asked him what his kids will do with it after he's gone, He kinda looked kinda mad and said, "They'll sell it at an auction for next to nothing...."
He played with several country pickers in the local clubs a honky-tonks and made some decent money for the day. He said one night they played a new years eve gig and between the four of them got $25.00 a piece! He was in 7th heaven because he'd never seen that kind of money playing for a party. Pay was usually 5-10.00 bucks. in the mid 50's.
Being a farmer and he and his wife started hatching kids, and farming wasn't too great, so he had to play to pay bills.
"One thing my kids (7 of them all grown now) will never realize is there was many a time that guitar put bread on the table because we were broke and needed groceries!"
He was also dissapointed that even though he encouraged them, his kids never found an apreciation for playing any kind of an instrument, because he also said that it seems that when everything goes bust, people will always pay for good music and good times. "
He still playes his Tele, even though the frets are about wore down to the finger-oil stained maple neck and I asked him if he'd ever considered selling it.
"Well" he said, "In 1995 a guy wanted to buy the Tele and the champ (which doesn't work), and he offered me $14,000 for the pair, and and that included the guitars origional leather gig bag. I looked at him and said 'I appreciate the offer'
He still sits in with some old pickers who get together, and even though he has a mexican strat as well as some other modern instruments, the Tele still makes it's debut and still plays well in his hands after 58 years. He can still pull off some pretty good Chet Atkins stuff too!
I asked him what his kids will do with it after he's gone, He kinda looked kinda mad and said, "They'll sell it at an auction for next to nothing...."